Page 18 of Bedding the Marquess
Caro jumped a little at the sound of his voice. “Gideon! Do not sneak up on me like that,” she admonished, but her ire died away as soon as he pulled her into his side and dropped a chaste peck to the top of her head.
“My apologies. I only came to tell you that all our belongings have been unpacked. Would you care for a broader tour of the grounds now, or would you prefer to rest?”
She gave this a moment’s consideration before answering. “As much as I would love to explore, I think I should have a bit of a lie-down. I’ve been so fatigued lately.”
Concern instantly narrowed Gideon’s eyes. “Are you feeling unwell? Shall I send for a physician?”
“No, I am fine,” she said quickly and placed a hand on his arm so he would not bolt from the room. “I am told it is common in early pregnancy. I struggle to make it through a single day without a nap.” She screwed up her face, annoyed with how she’d become a doddering old lady. “It’s terribly inconvenient.”
“Luckily for you, we have nowhere to go and no one to see, so you might avail yourself of a lie-down whenever your heart desires.” He leaned in close until his warm breath tickled her ear. “And I promise I shall never judge you for it.” Then, he scooped her into his arms, ignoring her squeal of surprise, and began carrying her from the cavernous library.
“Where are you taking me?” she demanded, a little breathless from surprise and the feel of him holding her. More so the latter.
“To bed, of course.”
Caroline met his eyes. He couldn’t mean—
No.
He gave her his cheeky wink, that damned flirtatious gesture he’d used on her and so many others countless times over the years. He was merely jesting—using suggestive language to get a rise out of her as he always had. He no more meant to consummate their marriage than she could sprout wings and fly from the top of the parapet. Caroline did her best not to allow her disappointment to show on her face.
“I will see you to your chamber, ensure everything is to your liking, and then stretch my legs. I shouldn’t be more than an hour or two. I expect you will be wanting to eat then?”
She forced a grateful smile and reminded herself that he was only looking out for her. “Perfect.” It was everything she could do not to press her face to the curve where his jaw met his throat above his cravat and breathe deeply his scent of leather and tobacco, dark and rich and intoxicating in the best way.
“Do you remember that horse race with Kempton and Brinley?” Caroline murmured, already teetering on the edge ofpleasantly drowsy and nearly asleep within the safe cradle of Gideon’s arms and his familiar scent.
She felt his chuckle against her side and heard his smile in his voice. “You felt poorly after we were caught in the rainstorm.”
“And you still insisted upon being admitted to my home. My poor maid did not know how to turn away an earl, and I could not blame her. You can be quite intimidating when you try.” That earned another chuckle.
“When Itry?” he scoffed lightly, but Caroline was already drifting back into her memories.
She’d been hardly decent at Gideon’s arrival, wearing nothing more than her nightshift, a wrapper, and an enormous pile of blankets; however, he’d seemed neither to care nor notice.
“You brought with you a parcel of your cook’s best shortbread and two new books from Thorpe’s. I tried to make you leave, but you’d already ordered tea and bone broth for me.”
Gideon had taken command of her tiny household and refused to hear any of her protests. He’d dragged a chair from another part of the flat and into her bedchamber and settled in for an afternoon of chatting and reading. The man had even stoked the fire himself!
Even years ago, there had already been rumors about a relationship between the two of them. Caroline had believed that, if the world only saw how kind and caring a man he was, how he treated her like his most cherished friend rather than a lover, then they would not say such things. She’d tried convincing herself that there were not a thousand reasons for her to develop feelings for him.
The facts that he always seemed to know when she was not feeling herself, that he remembered when she mentioned she was looking forward to reading a new publication, and how she adored his cook’s shortbread because the batches from herkitchen always wound up too sweet were not reasons enough alone to assume they shared an explicit relationship…though they were wonderfully endearing benefits. This cozy blanket of comforting memories finally lulled Caroline into a deep and restful sleep, so deep that she did not stir when Gideon carefully placed her on the bed, covered her, and, after a moment of indecision, lay down beside her, his planned ride long forgotten.
Caroline and Gideonspent the first week of their honeymoon trip walking and talking, reading with the windows open on rainy days, and staying up late into the evenings playing any one of the countless card games they’d learned over the years. The two of them fell into a comfortable routine, both entirely unaware that, as they retired separately each night, both were frustrated by the ongoing lack of intimacy. Neither was willing to take the first step and risk the amiability of these early days of marriage.
For Gideon’s part, there was little he desired more than to share Caroline’s bed again; however, she’d taken such pains to let him know that they would be together only one night. With her history, the last thing he wished was for her to feel pressured to follow through with anything she did not want. Unless she came to him expressing interest in exploring their chemistry in bed once again, he would remain respectful and silent.
“If I’d wanted to be a monk,” Gideon grumbled to himself in the wee hours one morning as he palmed his aching cock, “I’d have joined the order or wed a woman I could not stand.”
Caro certainly was not that woman.
In fact, he enjoyed her company far too much.
He was used to seeing her several times each week, but this constant dose of her sharing his home was having a curious impact upon his senses. He became attuned to her in new ways, began to learn her private quirks and habits. She preferred breaking her fast with fruit and tea, but she was not pickyabout the variety, so long as it was fresh. Following that meal, she enjoyed walking outside if the weather permitted, but laps around the residence worked in a pinch. She detested fish in all its forms, and this was only exacerbated by her expectant state; however, this did not diminish her enjoyment of the salty sea air that often whistled through the castle’s windows. He’d learned over the years how she enjoyed a hearty laugh, did not shy away from elaborate pranks, and could hold her drink and gamble with even the most seasoned of lords, but this was different. Now he witnessed Caro in her quiet moments, and he could not seem to get his fill of watching and learning.
He memorized the curve of her cheek as she tilted her head when she read, the quiet sounds she made when she accidentally fell asleep on the settee in the library, and the new and wonderful smile she displayed when they were in private.
This was, of course, not to say that there were no moments of uncertainty or awkwardness between them, but they worked through them to find a rhythm to their days.
